Ukrainian family in UK may go home to be with pets

After traveling by car from Ukraine to the UK, one family may go back to Kyiv in order to be with their cats. Lena, her three children, and her granddaughter are currently staying at a British couple’s home in Wales, but their three cats are in a special quarantine center almost 275 kilometers away. Lena and her family cannot see their pets for over three months. 

The UK government has changed its pet quarantine rules for Ukrainian refugees. It will pay for all quarantine and vaccination costs, and after some blood tests, most pets may return to their families for home isolation. However, unlike Scotland and England, Wales won’t allow home isolation because it can’t be monitored. They say that keeping pets in quarantine centers is the best way to protect both humans and animals.

Lena’s worried about her eight-year-old granddaughter, Ryta, who’s having a difficult time without her cats. According to Ryta’s teacher, being with her cats could greatly help Ryta get used to life in the UK. It’s believed that more than half of all Ukrainian refugees took their pets with them to other countries.